Cutter-bar for harvesters.



No. 644,060. Patented Feb. 27, |900. U. A. CLEVELAND.

CUTTER BAR'FOR HARVESTERS.

(Appuaeion med .rune 24, 1899.), (No Medial.)

A TTOHN E YS UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

URIAII A. CLEVELAND, OF I-IUTOHINSON, KANSAS.

CUTTER-BAR FOR HARVESTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,060, dated February 27, 1900.

Application nea rune 24,1899. semina 721,767. (No models.-

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, URIAH A. CLEVELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hutchinson, in the county of Reno and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutter-Bars for Harf vesters, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in ball-bearings for cutter-bars, the object being to produce a structure of this kind that is simple, cheap, and effective; and with this object in View my invention consists of the parts and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a cutter-bar and 'guard with my improvement embodied, the cutter-bar being broken away. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section on the line a: oc, Fig. 1.. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clamping-plate detached and inverted. Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the guard and its bar, the bar being broken away.

lis the guard-bar, of suitable construction; 2, the guard-fingers extending therefrom.

3 is the ball-seat formed in the guard-iinger, provided with slots or openings 4 in the bottom of the same.

5 are cut-away portions of the guard-finger between the ball-seat and the outer end of said finger, the object of which is to reduce friction to a minimum. This guard-finger, of course, it is obvious, may be of any approved construction.

6 is the ball workin g inthe ball-seat formed in the guard-finger.

7 is the clamping-plate, of the general outline shown, provided with the bolt-opening 8, through which the bolt 9 is adapted to pass, thereby securing said plate tc the guard-bar. 10 is the nut on said bolt.

11 are flanges or projections extending downwardly from plate 7. These flanges form ,when the plate is in position on the guard-bar, the ends of the ball-seat 3 in the guard-finger, inasmueh as they extend below the plane of the top of the ball used in said seat 3, thereby conning the ball 6 within said seat. i

l2 are parallel flanges depending from the forward end of the clamping-plate, forming the ball-seat 13, circular in cross-section, having at each end a V-shaped cut 14E.

15 is a guard or flange extending from the top of the outer flange 12, below the lower edge of the same, and given a slight outward bend, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

16 is a ball secured within the ball-seat 13 and adapted to freely work therein.

17 is the cutter-bar, to which is secured in a suitable manner the usual knife 18. The rear edge of the cutter-bar is concaved, as at 19, said concave portion bearing in action against the ball 6.

From Fig. 2 it will be readily seen that the balls 16 and 6 are free in their seats and that they bear, respectively, on the rear edge and on the top of the cutter-bar, thereby holding the bar from two directions firmly on its seat and reducing the friction to a minimum, at the same time holding the bar in its proper working position. Any accumulation of dirt or other foreign matter in the ball-seat 3 passes out of said seat through vthe slot or openings 4 in the bottom of the same. In order to protect the ball-bearing 13 against knocks, as well as dirt and other foreign matter, I provide the outwardly-extending curved ange 15, which not only prevents the entrance and accumulation of dirt in the seat 13, but also prevents the seat from being bent or otherwise injured from knocks resulting from careless use. It will also be readily seen that the usual up-and-down or vertical motion of the cutter or sickle bar isobviated in my construction by reason of the concave face 19 end of the same, a ball-seat projecting downwardly from the forward end of the clampingplate and a ange extending downwardly and outwardly from the outside of said ball-seat, substantially as described.

IOO

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the guardlinger, a cutter or sickle bar mounted thereon, of a clamping-plate extending over said cutter-bar, depending curved flanges extending from the forward end of said clamping-plate and circular in cross-section to form a ball-bearing, a ball mounted in said bearing and a flange extending downwardly from the top of said bearing, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the guard-finger, of a ball-seat formed near the rear end of the same, slots or openings in the bottom of said seat, a cut-away portion in said linger in front of the ball-seat and a cutter or sickle bar mounted on said finger, a concaved face or bearing 

